Temporal Armada
by Admiral Andalite
Summary: Uh oh, looks like trouble as famous ships (not just all seven Enterprises) are brought together not in any one time. No, it's not Q's fault; he's captured, too. This fanfic is co-authored by Digimon Lantern 1. Please R/R ASAP!! Enjoy!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Neither Digimon Lantern 1 or I, Admiral Andalite, own any of the assorted Star Trek series contianed in this story.  
  
I hope you enjoy! Please R\R! If we make any mistakes about the Star Trek universe, please inform us politely. No flames, please.  
  
PROLOGUE BY ADMIRAL ANDALITE  
  
PROLOGUE  
  
Z looked at his chessboard of the universe he'd created. He liked the way life in his universe was progressing. He liked the way things in his universe was progressing, but he was getting bored. He neede some fun. Something to occupy his mind.  
  
Then Z thought of something. The Federation in his universe... Nine ships had made quite a name for themselves. What if he brought them together in a special time bubble? He could watch the ships either destroy each other, or find a way back to their own times and places. It would be very amusing. Add in the comedian member of the Q continuum, a primitive offshoot of the Z continuum, and no one could stop watching. Whether they fought or cooperated, they'd be returned to their own time when they were destroyed or out of the bubble.  
  
But how to snag them without disrupting time? Then it came to him. A temporal anomaly! Of course! That would bring them together. Z couldn't wait to get started. 


	2. Foremost

CHAPTER BY DIGIMON LANTERN 1  
  
CHAPTER ONE - FOREMOST  
  
USS ENTERPRISE  
  
NX-01  
  
NX CLASS  
  
Captain Jonathon Archer was bored. He was lying down in his quarters watching Porthos, his loyal pet beagle, chase his tail. When he managed to catch it, the dog promptly yelped in pain and surprise. Archer just had to laugh. Apparently, Porthos had bit a little too hard on his own tail. Porthos walked over to his master and gave him a few playful licks on the face which made the captain begin to play with the dog. He got too involved before he realized that his female Vulcan first-officer, T'Pol, had entered his quarters.  
  
"I believe the phrase, 'A boy and his dog,' has some ring of truth, sir," she said, holding out a pad.  
  
Archer read a rather detailed report on something that wasn't right with the local area of space. "Can you explain this to me?" he asked.  
  
"Of course, I wanted to get your approval before setting a course for where I believe this disturbance originates." T'Pol replied.  
  
Scratching Porthos behind his lift ear, Archer said, "When we started this voyage, I said, 'We left Earth to explore, that's what being human is all about.' What I'm saying is, set a course."  
  
"At maximum warp, it will take us under a day to reach it." T'Pol further informed her captain.  
  
"Then we'd better be on our way," Archer said.  
  
"Captain's Star Log: Supplemental. We've arrived at a mysterious anomaly which has peaked the crew's curiosity. I hope that we'll discover new forms of usable energy."  
  
The Enterprise suddenly shook as a Romulan vessel suddenly appeared and fired its phased cannons at the port of the ship.  
  
"Polarizing the hull armor," Ian Malcom announced.  
  
"Return fire," Archer ordered.  
  
"Phase cannons have no effect," Malcom replied.  
  
"Torpedoes!" Archer exlaimed.  
  
From behind an asteroid, a second Romulan vessel intercepted the torpedoes. Both Romulan ships then began firing on the Enterprise.  
  
"Captain, you know I'm not one for retreating, but let's get out of here," Malcom said.  
  
"I agree, sir." T'Pol said. "With their current capabilities, we will only last five point three minutes at best. We'd only inflict minimal damage."  
  
Ensign Mayweather turned towards the science officer and asked, "Could we hide in the anomaly?"  
  
"Possibly, if we can get past the Romulans," T'Pol said.  
  
"Mayweather, take us into the rift," Archer ordered.  
  
As they approached the rift, a smile crossed Archer's face. "Warp two now!" he exclaimed.  
  
The Enterprise went to warp while crossing the rift's event horizon.  
  
"Captain's Star Log: Unknown. Crossing the rift at warp has severly damaged the Enterprise. The ship is dying. Trip managed to get the warp reactor shut down. Doctor Phlox has reported only minor injuries. As I write out this last log entry, I know it is only a matter of time before I must give the order to abandon ship."  
  
Archer stood on the bridge of his dying ship, with his senior staff, staring out at the static-filled viewscreen.  
  
"How long before we lose life-support?" Archer asked.  
  
"One hour and fifty-three minutes remain before our life-support system goes off-line." T'Pol said.  
  
"If it makes you fell better, Captain, we all lost her." Trip said to his captain.  
  
"The Enterprise was a fine vessel, better than many Vulcan vessels I've served on."  
  
Archer reached over and opened a comm channel to the rest of the ship. "All hands, this is the captain. Abandon ship."  
  
A tear rolled down from Archer's right eye, down his cheek, and fell to the floor as he regretted taking Mayweather's idea. It had cost him the Enterprise. 


	3. Convey

CHAPTER BY DIGIMON LANTERN 1  
  
CHAPTER TWO - CONVEY  
  
USS ENTERPRISE  
  
NCC-1701  
  
FIRST FIVE YEAR MISSION  
  
Captain James Tiberius Kirk was pleased. His partner, a beautiful Vulcan female named Kela, seemed to have enjoyed herself. Kela hadn't been in the midst of Pon Farr but that didn't seem to matter to her.  
  
"Captain Kirk, please report to the bridge." Uhura chimed over the comm.  
  
"Okay, I'm on my way," Kirk said, closing the channel. "As it would appear, I have to get back to work."  
  
"Go," Kela said, "I'll be waiting."  
  
After recieving a kiss from this immensely attractive woman, Kirk left his quarters to find Ensign Sulu at the nearest turbolift car.  
  
"Captain, what's going on?" Sulu asked.  
  
"I don't know, but I intend to find out," Kirk said getting into the car.  
  
When Captain Kirk arrived on the bridge, Sulu went to his station and relieved the Ensign at it while Kirk was humbled by the size of the vessel that pervaded the Enterprise's viewscreen. Kirk turned to his Vulcan science officer, Mr. Spock, and the Vulcan seemed to know what question his human captain and friend would ask.  
  
"Sensor analysis suggests that this vessel is from the thirty-first century." Spock said calmly.  
  
That remark gave Spock everyone's attention, including Scotty, who was listening to the whole conversation from Main Engineering.  
  
"But Keptin," Pavel Chekov said, "the amount of energy to power such a wessel would be astronomical."  
  
"Spock, how can you be sure that this ship is one that is from Captain Archer's Temporal Cold War?" Kirk asked his friend.  
  
"I have several forms of evidence to my theory. One, temporal radiation has left a residual charge on the vessel's hull. Two, a sensor scan of its hull has revealed that these same alloys were found in another vessel recovered by the U.S.S Enterprise NX-01. Three, the..." Spock explained his reasons.  
  
"Spock, you green-bloode Vulcan, would you stop repeating yourself!" McCoy's voice yelled out from behind him. "Will you all stop?"  
  
Kirk turned in his seat to see Dr. McCoy had appeard out of nowhere. Before he could ask, Chekov yelled, "Keptin, it's firing!"  
  
The Enterprise seemed to scream in pain as weapons from eight-hundred years in the future collided with her hull. Kirk staggered to his feet and gave Chekov the order he was waiting for. Chekov began to fire every weapon that the Constitution-class starship had at its disposal. The Russian had no idea where to fire on the attacker so he fired at every spot on its hull, hoping to hit some critical section that would give the Enterprise enough time to make an escape to warn the rest of the Federation of this threat.  
  
Then, something unexpected happened. The last torpedo that the Enterprise had at its disposal tore through an apparantly weak section of the hull. Explosions lit up the blackened hull of the ship. The explosions raced throughout the vessel.  
  
"Sulu, get us out of here!" Kirk exclaimed. "Maximum Warp!"  
  
The Enterprise jumped into warp a millisecond before the ship, displaced in time, exploded. Kirk was thrown out of his command chair as the timeship's explosion plucked them out of warp. The inertial dampeners failed for a couple of seconds before they came back on and Kirk hit the comm panel.  
  
"Scotty, give me more power!" Kirk yelled out his order.  
  
"Captain! I'm givin' her all she's got! If I give her anymore, the whole thing could blow!" Scotty yelled back. "I'm sorry, Captain. There's nothing I can do."  
  
The wave drew the Enterprise in and the ship disappeared. The now imploding wave had torn a hole in space and time. 


	4. Kirk DisappearsAgain

CHAPTER BY ADMIRAL ANDALITE  
  
CHAPTER THREE - KIRK DISAPPEARS-AGAIN  
  
USS ENTERPRISE  
  
NCC-1701-A  
  
CONSTITUTION CLASS  
  
Captain James Tiberius Kirk wondered if he'd just thrown his life away. He had just refused a direct order from Starfleet Command to return to Earth to have the Enterprise decommissioned. After all his years of commanding a starship, he could not bear to lose another ship he had so quickly became attached to. No matter. He was on another exploration "mission," a mission of his own assigning.  
  
Kirk looked around the bridge, taking time to observe his senior bridge officers. They were calm as could be, but ready to fight at a moment's notice. Only Uhura was not at her station.  
  
"Problem, Uhura?" he inquired his communications officer.  
  
She returned his gaze. "Starfleet is screaming repeatedly for us to return to port. I'm ignoring them in the least stressful way I can think of now. And boy, do I have a headache."  
  
"Report to Sickbay," Kirk siad, concerned. Uhura smiled at him. "Oh, Captain, it's not that serious." With that, she grabbed her head and fainted to the deck.  
  
  
  
Kirk pushed the internal comm button, and opened a channel to Sickbay. "Bones, get up here. Uhura fainted on duty; and something's wrong with Spock," he said, noticing his first officer clutching his head and trembling violently.  
  
Kirk closed the channel and ran over to Spock. "Spock? What's wrong?"  
  
Spock strained his head to meet Kirk's concerned gaze. "Strange...energy...source...nearby..." Spock said weakly, between forced breaths.  
  
Kirk turned to Chekov, who had a surprised look on his face. "Captain, he's right. A spatial anomaly emitting a strange energy signature has sprung up off the port nacelle." Chekov said.  
  
"On screen," Kirk ordered. On the main viewscreen, a green, pulsating "cloud" thundered and increased slowly in size. Bones McCoy and a medical team came through the turbolift doors. The team picked up Uhura, and grabbed Spock, and reentered the turbolift.  
  
McCoy turned to Kirk. "Jim, what the hell happened?" he inquired his captain.  
  
"I think it's connected with that." Jim pointed at the screen, where the "thing" was now twice its original size.  
  
Bones stared at it. "My god, what is that?"  
  
"I intend to find out." Jim replied. "Mr. Chekov, take Spock's station. Give me details as to what that thing is. Ensign Chara, take the weapons station."  
  
Chekov moved to the science station, as a female Vulcan Ensign replaced him at the weapons' console.  
  
"Analysis, Mr Chekov?" Kirk asked.  
  
Chekov looked up. "Sir, the scanners read the object as a nebula, but not of the usual composition. It seems to be some sort of hole. A hole in space itself."  
  
The helmsman turned to Kirk. "We're moving toward it! Helm controls are not responding."  
  
"Red Alert! Stand by photon torpedoes," Kirk commanded as Dr. McCoy went to the turbolift to return to Sickbay.  
  
Chara spoke. "Torpedoes ready, Captain. Ready to fire on your orders."  
  
"Fire!" Kirk yelled.  
  
There was a flash as the torpedoes were consumed by the anomaly. But instead of exploding, the object expanded rapidly. It was now larger than a Starbase, and was only two hundred kilometers from the Enterprise. The distance was closing rapidly.  
  
Kirk slapped the internal comm controls again. "Scotty, can you give me warp speed?"  
  
Scotty's exhausted voice replied, "Sorry, Captain. All the power's goin' to the shields to block the radiation from the damned thing."  
  
Then, the object engulfed the Enterprise. 


	5. Energy Payback

CHAPTER BY ADMIRAL ANDALITE  
  
CHAPTER FOUR - ENERGY PAYBACK  
  
USS ENTERPRISE  
  
NCC-1701-B  
  
EXCELSIOR CLASS  
  
Captain John Harriman praised Montgomery Scott for getting the new Enterprise out of the energy ribbon safely, but mourned the loss of the legendary James T. Kirk.  
  
"We're clear! said the helmsman, Ensign Demora Sulu, daughter of Hikaru Sulu.  
  
Scotty looked up, a worried look on his face. "I don't think so, lassie. The ribbon is generating a powerful gravity field, and is sucking us back in!"  
  
Harriman acted quickly. "Warp speed now! Get us out of here at maximum warp!"  
  
"Aye, sir," Scotty responded, quickly punching in the commands.  
  
The Enterprise lurched violently. "Report!" yelled Harriman.  
  
"We've escaped the gravity field, but we've also lost helm control," reported Sulu.  
  
Scott added, "We've ripped a hole in space sir."  
  
"Fire phasers directly into the hole. We need to seal the hole."  
  
Chekov, who had taken the weapons station, said, "Phasers powering up. Firing."  
  
On the screen, the phaser blasts caused a massive explosion. Out of the fireball explosion came a massive energy ball, attracted to the energy field of the Excelsior-class ship. Harriman looked horrified at the oncoming sphere of energy. He opened an internal comm channel to be broadcasted throughout the ship.  
  
"All hands, brace for impact!" Captain Harriman cried.  
  
And then the energy sphere collided with the new starship, and the Enterprise-B disappeared. 


	6. Strife

CHAPTER BY DIGIMON LANTERN 1  
  
CHAPTER FIVE - STRIFE  
  
USS ENTERPRISE  
  
NCC-1701-C  
  
AMBASSADOR CLASS  
  
If those in hell bathed in flame, Captain Rachel Garrett knew that she had just added the bubble bath. The Enterprise had answered a distress call from a Klingon station to discover Romulan Warbirds were the attackers.  
  
Her tactical officer, Erika Chekov, had quickly activated the shields, armed the photon torpedoes, and charged the phasers. The old human term "trigger-happy," could easily be applied to her tactical officer as the ship's phasers lanced out like crimson fire at a Romulan Warbird that two of the station's four battlecruisers were already attacking.  
  
Castillo had informed her that the Klingons had not answered their hails but that didn't matter as the Warbird's shields failed and she watched as photon torpedoes tore through the ship's hull and destroyed the Warbird.  
  
Romulan plasma cannons attacked the Enterprise's defenses and Rachel was almost thrown from her command chair. She turned torwards Chekov who was already returning fire. Rachel tapped a comm panel.  
  
"Burks, reroute power to the shields and phasers for as long as you can." Garrett ordered.  
  
Captain Garrett had to shield her eyes as a Klingon battlecruiser was claimed by two Romulan Warbirds' disruptor beams and was destroyed in a violent burst of antimatter fire.  
  
A lead weight was placed on Captain Rachel Garrett as she knew that there was no chance in hell that they would survive this battle. She stared at the viewscreen as what was left of the Enterprise's torpedoes arched out through space and ripped into a Warbird's hull detonated, tearing cavities of alloy all over the great machine. Unknown to the Starfleet crew, the Romulan warp core's power source, an artificial quantum singularity, burst for a nanosecond, sending out an immense gravity wave which seized the Enterprise and drew the starship into its maw. 


	7. Temporal Violation

CHAPTER BY DIGIMON LANTERN ONE  
  
CHAPTER SIX - TEMPORAL VIOLATION  
  
USS ENTERPRISE  
  
NCC-1701-D  
  
GALAXY CLASS  
  
Dixon Hill was pointing his revolver at the corrupt police chief, Joseph Moore. Chief Moore's face displayed arrogance as if he'd done nothing wrong.  
  
"I'm sworn to protect the innocent. I took an oath." Moore said. "You don't have the guts to kill me. You and Bell will soon be in Alcatraz."  
  
Inspector Bell had a shotgun pointed at his superior. From the look on his face, he was waiting for a chance to blow Moore's head off.  
  
"Protect the innocent, my ass!" Dixon exclaimed. "You killed Bell's partner and several other people and I have the pictures to prove it. You and your gang of dirty cops are through. Any last words?"  
  
"Yeah, Dix, I do," Moore said, reaching behind his desk. "Die, Dix!"  
  
Dixon aimed his revolver and fired at the same time as Bell emptied the shotgun shells into Moore. Moore had his hand at his stomach. Dixon could see that Bell's aim had been true. His own shot had struck a picture of Moore's wife. The private detective walked over to Moore and placed the revolver between the crooked cop's eyes. Despite the blood loss and obvious pain, Moore began to raise the Tommy gun.  
  
"You're fired," Dixon said, pulling the trigger. Click! There were no more bullets in the gun.  
  
"Guess I'll have to do it the old-fashioned way," Dixon said, giving Moore a hard punch in the nose.  
  
Moore was thrown back by the blow and broke through the large picture windows of his office. Tumbling four stories, Moore hit a squad car. Dixon turned to look at his friend.  
  
"Guess this makes you chief," Dixon said with a laugh.  
  
The telephone on Moore's desk began to ring. Dixon Hill picked up the receiver and heard a familiar voice.  
  
"I'm sorry for interrupting your program, Captain. I thought that patching this communication would be less intrusive." Lieutenant Commander Data said.  
  
"Quite all right; what's wrong?" Captain Jean-Luc Picard asked with a slight grimace on his face.  
  
"Admiral Sulu is hailing from the Excelsior," Data replied.  
  
"Route it to the holodeck," Picard ordered. "Arch," he told the computer.  
  
When the arch appeared, Picard walked over to it and activated the communications screen, where he saw Sulu's waiting image.  
  
"Captain Picard, what I'm about to tell you is of grave importance to the security of the Federation," Sulu said.  
  
Captain Picard studied the elderly face of the seasoned Starfleet admiral. From personal experience, Picard knew that the admiral couldn't have plunged into senility so late in his remarkable life. Admiral Sulu still had his youthful vigor. Picard listened intensively to what the Sulu had to say.  
  
"A day ago, Starfleet Intelligence: Section Krieg has detected evidence that the Cardassians may be devoloping temporal weapons. You will be briefed further by Commander Shelby. Good luck, Captain," Admiral Hikaru Sulu said, closing the channel.  
  
Captain Picard was shocked by what the admiral had said. Section Krieg had only one purpose: to try to prevent war where it was almost inevitable. Temporal weapons could, in theory, phase-shift through a ship's shields, making ship defenses ineffective. Picard pressed an intercomm switch on the arch's panel.  
  
"Holodeck Three to Bridge. Has Commander Shelby beamed aboard?" Captain Picard asked.  
  
"Yes, sir," Riker replied. "Why is she here?"  
  
"Call a meeting for the senior staff and you'll soon find out," Picard said.  
  
In the observation lounge, everyone sat down at their appropriate places. Commander Shelby seemed a bit confused when Ensign Wesley Crusher sat down. Shelby then walked over to a far panel.  
  
"I assume everyone has heard of Section Krieg," Shelby began. "Well, they've found evidence to some bas news. The Cardassians are experimenting with temporal weapons. If they are successful with their experiments, they will pose an even greater security risk than the Borg. At least, that's what Admiral Sulu believes."  
  
"Question," Data said. "Have the Cardassians found a new energy source?"  
  
"Data's got a point," Geordi La Forge agreed. "They'd also need a new type of phase-shifting technology. A Romulan cloaking device wouldn't give the desired effect."  
  
"Theories, Mr. Data?" Picard asked.  
  
The android replied, "I have three. One, the Cardassians have discovered a new high-power energy source and have figured out how to push something completely out of normal space and time. Two, the torpedoes create microwormholes that pass through shields. Three, a single torpedo with a device measures their enemy's shield frequency upon collision, allowing them to set thier weapons' frequency to match. There are no more possible theories."  
  
"Red Alert! Captain to the bridge!" sounded an alarm, followed by the Red Alert klaxon.  
  
As the senior staff arrived on the bridge, twenty-five Cardassian Galors began to decloak in strategic positons around the Enterprise. Worf raised the ship's shields.  
  
"We are being hailed," the Klingon tactical officer announced.  
  
"On screen," Picard ordered.  
  
"U.S.S Lab Rat, Ncc-1701-D. I am Gul Rensal, and you are history. Goodbye," the Cardassian said curtly, then closed the transmission.  
  
A blue torpedo collided with the Enterprise.  
  
"Shields, weapons, and propulsion are down," Data announced.  
  
From the twenty-five Galors, saphire beams of tachyons struck the Enterprise. Picard watched in horror as he watched hs ship and crew disappear around him. 


	8. Unofficial Delivery

CHAPTER BY ADMIRAL ANDALITE  
  
CHAPTER SEVEN - UNOFFICIAL DELIVERY  
  
USS VOYAGER  
  
NCC-74656  
  
INTREPID CLASS  
  
"Shields are at fifty-seven percent," Tuvok announced as another Kazon torpedo volley collided with Voyager.  
  
"Return fire, maximum spread," Captain Kathryn Janeway yelled back.  
  
The torpedoes hit the Kazon heavy battlecruiser, but the Kazon didn't really seem to notice. Janeway needed a new strategy.  
  
"Attack pattern Delta Beta Zero," Janeway commanded.  
  
Voyager fired forward phasers and unleashed a quad spread of torpedoes, flew behind the Kazon vessel, and fired aft torpedoes, which were hit by Voyager's port ventral phasers as the ship came about, causing the torpedoes to emit an antimatter blast as they neared the Kazon's shields.  
  
Harry Kim looked over at Janeway. "The Kazon's forward shield is at twenty-four percent, and their aft shield has collapsed!"  
  
"It's about time," commented Commander Chakotay. "Their defenses are second only to the Borg."  
  
Janeway turned around. "Tuvok, release the prepared cobalt bomb."  
  
When Voyager became deadlocked in battle with the Kazon cruiser, Captain Janeway had a cobalt bomb made ready to release from the shuttlebay when and if they managed to collapse at least one of the Kazon's shields.  
  
In the shuttlebay at the rear of Voyager, the magnetic clamps holding the bomb in place were disabled, and forcefield went down. The bomb flew out into space, remote-controlled from Tuvok's station.  
  
Tuvok moved the bomb through the Kazon's collapsed shield. When the bomb was less than a meter from the Kazon's hull, Tuvok detonated it. The antimatter package created a shockwave that cut through the cruiser's hull and went through to the other side of the ship.  
  
There was a chain reaction explosion as the Kazon's power generator was destroyed.  
  
"The Kazon cruiser has been destroyed," Ensign Kim said unnecessarily.  
  
"Good," said Lieutenant Tom Paris, "I was beginning to think we'd never win."  
  
Chakotay grinned at Paris. "I had complete confidence in Voyager. I knew we'd beat them."  
  
Tom looked back, teasing laughter in his eyes. "Right, and the Borg are completley organic."  
  
Chakotay looked around the bridge, defeated. "Some support, please?"  
  
"I am neutral in this illogical banter," said Tuvok.  
  
"I side with-" Suddenly Harry was interrupted by a beeb from his console. "Captain, I'm reading a spacial flux. It appears to be a sub-space wormhole. It leads," he paused, and astonished look on his face, "to the Alpha Quadrant."  
  
A massive wave of astonishment swept through the bridge. Janeway looked back at Kim. "How close is the exit to Earth?"  
  
"Can't tell," Kim replied.  
  
Captain Janeway decided quickly. "Let's not waste any more time. Tom, Take us into the wormhole."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, satisfaction and anticipation etched all over him. He turned around to his console, entering in commands.  
  
Voyager turned to face the wormhole, heading toward it at full impulse power. As the magnificent starship neared the sub-space tunnel, it expanded rapidly in size, and Voyager disappeared within, leaving the Delta Quadrant. 


	9. Instability

Chapter By Guest Writer Jedi Adia  
  
CHAPTER EIGHT-INSTABILITY  
  
SPACE STATION DEEP SPACE NINE  
  
USS DEFIANT, NX-74025  
  
DEFIANT CLASS  
  
"There's an incoming message for you, Commander." Kira's voice came through the comlink in Sisko's office. She always sounded calm, cool, and collected, but this time, Sisko noted an underlying hint of anxiety in her voice. He wondered what could possibly have gone wrong.   
  
'Patch it through, Major." Sisko sat back, and swiveled in his chair to face Odo, the station constable and resident shapeshifter. "We'll continue this conversation later, Constable."  
  
"Understood." Odo turned to leave.   
  
"But that doesn't mean you're dismissed, Constable," Sisko said. "You may need to hear this." Sisko touched a button, and Admiral Jennings appeared on the display. "Admiral, to what do I owe the pleasure?"   
  
"Something very odd in the Gamma Quadrant, I'm afraid," Jennings said. "The Dominion say they want peace. And, you being the Emissary, they want to meet with you to begin negotiations."  
  
"This doesn't feel right, Commander," Odo said, so that only Sisko could hear.   
  
"I'm aware of that, Odo, but stranger things have happened," Sisko replied. To Admiral Jennings, he asked, "what do you want me to do?"   
  
"They want to meet tomorrow morning," Jennings said. "You should leave at a time you see fit."  
  
"Understood, Admiral. I'll leave as soon as possible. Is that all?"   
  
"Yes. Jennings out."  
  
"Senior staff to my office please."  
  
A few minutes later, Lieutenant Dax, Major Kira, and Chief O'Brien were waiting in Sisko's office to hear why they had been called there.   
  
"There's no real way to explain this, since I myself don't understand it, so I'll just say it. Admiral Jennings contacted me to say that the Dominion wants peace. We've been ordered to the Gamma Quadrant as representatives of the Federation," Sisko said. "The Defiant leaves as soon as she is ready."   
  
O'Brien started to speak, but Sisko held up a hand. "Like I said, Chief, I don't understand it either. We need to be ready to move out as soon as possible. You're all coming. That's an order. Dismissed."  
  
***  
  
About twenty minutes later, the Defiant disembarked from Deep Space Nine and headed for the wormhole. As the ship neared it, the wormhole opened with a flash of light. Even though it was something that happened all of the time, the wormhole opening up, it never ceased to amaze Sisko.   
  
"Take us in," he instructed.   
  
Everything went well until they were about halfway through. Then the klaxons sounded.   
  
"The wormhole's destabilizing!" O'Brien shouted over the alarms. "There's no telling where we'll end up."  
  
"There's nothing I can do," Dax said to Sisko. He had to strain to hear her over the alarms.   
  
The ship jolted as they were suddenly ejected from the wormhole.   
  
"Report," Sisko said, picking himself up off of the floor.   
  
O'Brien checked his readouts. "Commander, you're not going to believe this," he said, "but we're in the center of the universe." 


End file.
